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The state of South Australia has banned fishing of several endangered or critically endangered sharks and rays in its waters. In a media release dated Dec. 11, the state government said the new rules prohibit both recreational and commercial fishing of…

A researcher described four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, from India’s Western Ghats, a chain of mountains running along the country’s west coast. “Most people in India are not even aware that there are tarantulas in India when…

Nearly 100 underground tunnels, running a combined length of more than 84 kilometers, or 52 miles, crisscross and plunge into the depths of the mountain that hosts the Zijin gold mine in Buriticá, northeastern Colombia. Since 2021, those tunnels have been…

COLOMBO – The MV Thermopylae Sierra, a 155-meter (508-foot) bulk carrier flying the Cypress flag, was anchored off Sri Lanka’s west coast by court order following a legal dispute. Neglected for three years without proper maintenance, the vessel eventually…

This year, Mongabay published in-depth investigations on critical environmental issues. Our reporting revealed evidence of ecosystem destruction and its consequences for people worldwide, showcasing the importance of journalism in protecting our planet. Here…

The EU Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR, will require companies importing certain products into the European Union to trace the origins of these products all the way back up the supply chain to prove that they’re not associated with deforestation. It takes…

The weight of the crises our planet faces can feel overwhelming and disempowering. And the books that made Mongabay’s annual list take a hard look at the challenges — deforestation and species loss, climate-driven fires and coral bleaching, and inequality…

Two separate camera-trap surveys have captured videos and images of jaguars in two different forests in Ecuador’s northwest, where the animal hadn’t been spotted for several years. Subsequent analysis confirmed that it was the same individual moving…

Conservation news is often heartbreaking, with reports of dramatic biodiversity loss globally year after year. But in 2024, there were several reasons for cheer as well, with conservationists finding that certain species, once at the brink of extinction, are…

The Bangladeshi government’s forest department recently added surveillance drones to their arsenal of conservation tools. Wildlife inspectors started using this technology to prepare a dragnet around a poaching hotspot with an aerial view. In mid-November,…

In 2015, AquaBounty Technologies became the first company in North America, and likely the world, to get regulatory approval to sell a genetically engineered animal for human consumption. Its Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), spliced with genes from other fish,…

In Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, Paul Raad crouched in the undergrowth, scanning the ground for signs of jaguar activity. He wasn’t looking for the big cats themselves; instead, the veterinarian from São Paulo State University…

In just under a year from now, the world will turn to Belém, Brazil, a city on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest, for the COP30 United Nations climate summit. For many conservationists and diplomats, the hope is that the setting will inspire authorities to…

BUDJALA, Democratic Republic of Congo — “We are in a province with an agropastoral vocation,” says Jean Guillaume Ngbanga Masolo, provincial inspector for agriculture in South Ubangi province. From his office in the capital, Gemena, Ngbanga Masolo…

Earlier this year, commodity-trading giant Cargill exported a shipment of soy from Brazil to Europe, aiming to test whether it would comply with the European Union’s new regulation on deforestation-free products, or EUDR. It found that although the shipment…

This is the second story on radiated tortoise conservation in southern Madagascar. Read Part One here. TAOLAGNARO, Madagascar – Acting on a tip from a village informant, Fabian met a colleague at the edge of the spiny forest reserve just after nightfall.…

SILVANIA, Colombia — On a warm but overcast afternoon, hundreds of Indigenous representatives and spiritual leaders gathered to witness a remarkable convergence of native nations from across the Americas. Serving as ambassadors and messengers, runners took…

2024 was a year marked by a COP climate summit so dismal that many governments and analysts questioned whether the annual meetings are even worth holding. While world leaders failed to secure meaningful action, extreme weather events battered Southeast Asia,…

In 2022, the world agreed at a U.N. biodiversity summit to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water by 2030. While protected areas already account for almost 15% of the planet’s land, protection for the world’s oceans is lagging far behind, at just over 8%.…

As 2025 dawns, here is a look at some of the storylines that could shape the fate of tropical forests this year. More reading: The year in tropical rainforests: 2024 How geopolitics could impact rainforests in 2025 In the aftermath of a politically turbulent…